The 20 Best RGV Songs of 2025
Another great year for Rio Grande Valley alternative music. The diversity, DIY ethos, and solidarity create a resilient local scene with some of the most distinguished and powerful music anywhere. Shoegaze virtuosos, angsty rockers, stunning pop vocalists, and much more. Let’s celebrate some of the best music singles of 2025 and make it a great 2026.
20. Violetta - Year of the Horse
Shoegaze darlings Violetta break out in 2025 with a blurry and blissful single that also showcases their heavy edge.
19. TEMPTRIX - Deeper than Skin
Temptrix conjures up dark mystique with longing moans, seductive whispers, and an immersive industrial dance beat.
18. Wallo2k - Sueño Fugaz
We’ve heard some of Wallo2k’s best ethereal Latin trap throughout the year, especially in this intoxicating soundscape and melodic flows that roll off the tongue.
17. Strghtfwrd - On My Mind
Strghtfwrd conquered the minimal/tech side of house long ago, and now they’re more accessibly euphoric than ever.
16. Edwin Voyager - P05555V7GR23
An enigmatic single from the enigmatic Edwin Voyager, built around meditative atmosphere and slippery rhythms that are equally dazzling and disorienting.
15. Jay Sol - Slow it Down
A commanding soul performance turns this pity party into one of the best bangers this year.
14. City of Dawn - Lost in Translation
It’s hard to single out one song from CoD’s relentless ambient output, but the scenic drones, warm hiss, and gentle clipping make “Lost in Translation” a standout.
13. Shattered Stories - Empty Rooms Don’t Exist
Metalcore/post-hardcore band Shattered Stories have outdone themselves with their most extravagant single yet. Powerful riffage, tasteful breakdowns, and visceral passion.
12. R U I N K R Ô S - Tear Us Apart
A beautifully intense cut of dark wave that’s brimming with twisted eroticism and morbid curiosity, inspired by the 1996 film “Crash”.
11. Jae Lugo - Need Your Touch
Jae Lugo is no stranger to moody wallowing, but when it’s this dancey and epic, it hits so much harder.
10. LUEME - 4me
The breezy vocals and hypnotic retro haze of “4me” caps off an amazing year for thriving pop band Lueme.
9. Seeing June - Monster
Guitars surge, vocals soar, and darkness looms large in Seeing June’s thriller.
8. Upon Your Dead Body - 64 Gut Punches
Emo angst with an impressive push-pull of poise and grit to soundtrack the ache of regret and “lovers to enemies” toxicity.
7. Orpheus Bloom - absolute cinema
Orpheus Bloom captures their cinematic pop passion in this picture-perfect earworm. Dreamy, vibrant, and thematically playful.
6. Italia is Kawaii - IDOL! IDOL! IDOL!
Italia brought her rousing idol stage presence to audiences at home, with a buoyant backdrop and escapist conviction that makes you want to wave your light sticks.
5. Lure Division - souvenir
One of the easiest songs to get lost in. Swift drums and brisk guitars get drenched in a nostalgic mist before a soft brooding voice emerges for good measure.
4. LUEME - lazarus
Stanky funk bass, woozy psychedelia, sultry vocals. Summer 2025 was off to a hot start with this one, but it also kicked off the group’s music career and they’ve yet to look back.
3. Lunar Heart - Nova 1
Lunar Heart leans further into their newfound dream-pop/shoegaze mastery. Notes bend, voices blend, and cacophony meets tranquility in the best bittersweet bliss of the year.
2. Reyna Tropical - Tu Voz
A love song that transcends the Latin and Afro diaspora, transcends sexuality and identity, yet celebrates all of it through its lush guitar, rich percussion, and stunning vocals.
1. Pillowsnake - BONDING AGENT
Pillowsnake is thrashing, shredding, and being as outspoken as ever in his mind-blowing comeback single, smearing a dystopian haze over surf punk that counters complacency, silence, and conformity. It was a relatively quiet year for Pillowsnake, but one of the RGV’s biggest noisemakers couldn’t stay quiet for long.